Brooder heat lamp fixture



y 15, 19-52 M. v. SCHUBERT ET'AL ,7

BROODER HEAT LAMP FIXTURE w l I INVENTOPS,

[ I MILTON \SCHUBEPT,

BILLY E. LAN OHR, LOP/N -J. BEADS/ 5; HQM 0.

AT To/?NEY.

M. V. SCHUBERT ET AL BROODER HEAT LAMP FIXTURE July 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Au '29, 1951 IN VENTOPS, MILTON SCHUBERT, BILLY E. LANqOHR,

LOP/N J. BPADSKEY,

y 15, 1952 M. v. SCHUBERT ET AL 2,603,733

BRboDER HEAT LAMP FIXTURE Filed Aug. 29, 1951 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENToPs, MLTON \SCHUBEPT, BILLY E. 'LANGOHP, LOP/N J. BPADJKEY, .BYW m Patented July 15, 1952 BROODERHEAT LAMP F1XTUB E 7 Milton V. Schubert, Jr., and'BillyEuLangohr,

Columbia City, and Lorin J. Badskey, North Manchester, Ind., assignors to Ii-ML Engineering & Manufacturingcorporation, Columbia- City, Ind., acorporation of Indiana Application August 29, 1951, Serial No. 244,234

Claims. (01. 219 34) This invention relates to a fixture for holding infrared lamps for use particularly in chicken brooding. Infrared lamps have been used for some time for the purpose of supplying heat for baby chicks, and also for supplying heat in brooding young pigs. It is necessary that there be a rather definite heat pattern on the floor under the lamps, and that a certain spacing be maintained in order to control the degree of heat as well as the extent of area of the pattern of the heat radiation on the floor. Heretofore the lamps have been hung generally singly in sockets suspended individually from the lamp cords, or they have been mounted in sockets attached individually to boxes and the like without any particular regard to the heat pattern and the degree of heat to be radiated overthat pattern.

It is a primary object of this invention to supply a fixture wherein the lamps will be carried in a predetermined angular position one lamp in reference to another, and also wherein the heat radiated will be automatically controlled such as through a thermostat.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a fixture wherein the lamps will be protected from dripping condensation as some-' times forms in the buildings where the buildingis not heatedoutside of the lamps under a reflector. Again a still further important object of the invention is to provide a reflector behind the lamps themselves, although the lamps carry built in reflectors so that any stray heat is reflected back down onto the over-all floor pattern.

Durability and simplicity of design also constitutes advantages of the invention, 'in addition to many other advantageswhich will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the fixture, in which i a Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation and partial section of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a'wiring diagram;

Fig.3 is a view in top plan;

Fig. 4 is aview in bottom plan;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the reflector member wherein the angular relations of the socket mounting openings are indicated; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of the heat pattern radiated by the lamps of the fixture.

A dish-shaped mounting plate [0 is provided to have its inner and outer surfaces spherically formed, and to have a surrounding outturned annular flange H. One particular satisfactory size of this base member In is that which is formed to have a diameter of approximately 10%;; of aninoh diameter inside of the flange H with a spherical radius of 81 inches inside. These dimensions are given by way of an example to define somewhat the proportions of the member I0. 1

Four circular holes l2, l3, l4, and [5 are out through the member ID on a common circumferential line about the vertical center line through the member ID. This center line is represented, Fig. 5, by the line abm-These holes [3-15 are spacedninety degrees apart, and they are located to have their centers on the line ae, ac, ad, and a), each of theselines being angularly disposed from the line ah by an amount of twenty degrees. Then through each of these holes 13-15 inclusive, there is fixed a socket 16, Fig. 1. 'A heat lamp I1 is carried in each one of the sockets l6, making the total of four lamps actually disposed on the twenty degree lines.

The base plate 10 is covered over by a cover l8 which has a major flat area with an arcuate, down-turned flanged edge portion IS. The flange ll of the plate It bears against the under side of the cover I8, and has hook-bolts 20 passed down through the cover [8 and the flange II to have nuts 2| engage; thereon in order to pull the flange ll up-snugly against the underside of the cover 18, Fig. 1. The overall diameter of the cover It outto the outermost portion of the downturned edge 19 is made to be such that it overhangs the outermost edge portions of the lamps ll therebelowso that any moisture collecting on the cover l8 will drip well outside of the lamps IT.

The cover I 8 may be suspended above the floor by anysuitable means, herein shown as by a series of three lengths of chain 22, 23, and 24 joining a single length 25 from which the assembly may be suspended.

Mounted on top of the cover 3 is a control switch 26, normally closed, and opened by the expansion of a thermostatic element 21, herein shown as being comprised of a pair of the'usual wafers 28 and 29. These wafers 28, 29 are secured to the lower end of an adjusting screw 30 so that they may be raised and lowered in reference to the switch 26 in order to operate or open the switch 26 at the desired upper limit of temperature. It is to be noted that these wafers 28, 29 will reflect room temperature rather than temperature under the cover l8. That is desirable because the lamps I! will normally be operated constantly until the sun shines on the building in which the fixture is used, or until there is generally an outdoor in- This arrangement of course may be varied to have one or three lamps controlled by the switch 26 as may be desired.

By fixin the angular positions of the lamps V IT as above described, a variable desired heat pattern is provided on the floor as is indicated in Fig. 6. Each of the circles [1a, I11), I10, and lid, represent the area of the extent of heat impact on the floor from each of the respective lamps 1-1. It is to be noted that all four circles meet and are tangent at the point G. so that there is considerable overlapping of these circles particularly centrally of the overall pattern.

Contrary to most installations, thi gives the intense heat at the center of the pattern with a decreasing amount of heat, that is effective heat, as the area is traversed from the center to the extreme outside. This is most desirable because baby chicks most particularly will follow from one intense zone of heat to a lesser zone as they may desire less heat. To the contrar if there be a lesser zone of heat in the center of the pattern as is usually the case, the baby chicks may try to assemble in that lesser area rather than go through the intenser heat of the pattern to the lesser heat around the outside into the cooler unheated area of the floor. This pattern will be achieved by the proper use of the right length of the central chain 25. The maximum height of the lamps i! from the floor will of course be governed by the amount of heat required by the baby chicks, this amount being quickly determined by the behavior of the chicks themselves.

Normally the standard 250 watt infrared lamps will be used. Also these lamps will have the built in reflectors so that the great majority of the heat will be radiated thereby. However, there are always some stray beams of heat radiated backwardly through uncovered or uncoated portions of the glass lamps, and such stray beams are reflected back downwardly by the spherical undersurface of the base member I0. This member It is preferably made out of bright or semi-bright metal so as to provide for this heat reflection. Also there is purposely made a spacing between this central portion of the base member Hi and the cover Hi to provide room for the wiring as indicated in Fig. 2 as between the socketsand the switch 26. This wiring will remain cool between the two members by reason of the reflective type of surface employed. Further, in reference to the thermostatic control, the screw 30 which is the adjustable member is screw-threadedly carried and the cross member 32 mounted across the upright members 33 and 34 that extend from a base cross piece 35 in turn secured to the top side of the cover [8. I

Therefore while we have shown the invention in the form now best known to us, and While we have described it in minute detail in the oneparticular form, it is obvious that structural variations may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, and we therefore do not desire to be limited to that precise form beyond the limitation which may be imposed by the following claims.

We claim: 7 c v 1. A brooder lamp fixture comprising .an inverted dome constituting a hollow spherical .segment-and having a plurality of apertures regularly arranged on a common, small circle therearound; the axes of said apertures being radii of curvature of said dome, said radii, each being at an angle of substantially twenty degrees to the central radius of curvature of the dome; a lamp socket carried by the dome to be presented at each aperture aligned with said axis thereof; a cover plate secured to the dome to extend theres over and therebeyond; and a drip lip downturned l0 around the outer edge portion of the plate; said cover plate extending beyond any lamp carried by said sockets; and means for suspending the fixture.

- 2, A brooder lamp fixture comprising an inverted dome constituting a hollow spherical segment and having a plurality of apertures regularly arranged on a common, small circle therearound; the axes of said apertures being radii of curvature of said dome, said radii, each being at an angle of substantially twenty degrees to the central radius of curvature of the dome; a lamp socket carried by the dome to be presented at each aperture aligned with said axis thereof; a cover plate secured to the dome to extend thereover and therebeyond; and a drip lip downturned around the outer edge portion 'of the plate; said cover plate extending beyond any lamp carried by said sockets; and means for suspending the fixture; a flange extending outwardly from the dome in the plane of the circle defining the top side of the dome; said extending means comprising flexible members; hooks on the fixture to which said members are engaged; said hooks having shanks extending through said cover and said flange; and means on the shanks interengaging said flange and said cover plate in contact one with the other.

3. A brooder lamp fixture comprising an inverted dome constituting a hollow spherical segment and having a plurality of apertures regularly arranged ona common, small circle therearound; the axes of said apertures being radii of curvature of said dome, said radii, each being at an angle of substantially twenty degrees to the central radius of curvature of the dome; a lampsocket carried by the dome to be presented at each aperture aligned with said axis thereof; a cover plate secured to the dome to extend thereover and therebeyond; and a drip lip downturned around the outer edge portion of the plate; said cover plate extending beyond any lamp carried by said sockets; and means for suspending the fixture; thermostat means carried on the top, outer side of said plate; and a circuit including in one portion a part of said sockets for direct supply of electrical energy, and in another portion including said thermostat means interrupting in accordance with temperature changes, said other circuit portion.

4. A brooder lamp fixture comprising an inverted dome constituting a hollow spherical segment and having a plurality of apertures regularly arranged on a common, small circle therearound; the axes of saidapertures being radii of curvature of said dome, said radii, each being at an angle of substantiallytwenty degrees to the central radius of curvature of the dome; a lamp socket carried by the dome to be presented at each aperture aligned with said axis thereof; a

cover plate secured to the dome to extend there-.

over and therebeyond; and a drip lip downturned around the outer edge portion of the plate; said cover .plate extending beyond any lamp carried by said sockets; and means for suspending the fixture; said cover plate and said dome forming an 5 insulating air space therebetween, and the undersides of said dome and said lower plate being heat reflective.

5. A brooder heat lamp fixture comprising an inverted dome essentially a spherical segment shell, and having a plurality of openings therethrough arranged in regularly spaced apart relation around a small circle of the segment to have the axes of the openings, each a radius of curvature of the dome; a flange around the major circle of the dome; a cover plate secured against said flange to form an insulating airchamber therebetween; an electric lamp socket in each of said openings each aligned on said radius axis thereof; and means for suspending the fixture; a

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number thermostat member mounted on the top side of said fixture; and an electric circuit divided into two parts, one part including less than all of said sockets, and the other part including the rest of said sockets and said thermostat means whereby a part only of thesockets will be controlled by said thermostat means.

MILTON V. SCHUBERT, JR.

BILLY E. LANGOHR.

LORIN J. BADSKEY.

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Benjamin July '7, 1914 Crownfield Apr. 23, 1918 Newton May 27, 1919 Growalcl Mar. 7, 1922 McFaddin Sept. 19, 1922 Brown July 28, 1936 Miskella Aug. 2, 1949 Goodell- Apr. 18, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date I Great Britain June 2, 1932 France Aug. 9, 1912 Germany; Oct. 6, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES 25 J. Miskella, copyright 1947; see page 51, Model B. 

